Two Days To Go Until the 2013 Season Begins in Fresno

Here's an immortal play to get Rutgers fans psyched from Number 2, Tim Brown, receiving a pass from (Pitt's new starting quarterback) Tom Savage in 2009 to come from behind against UConn with seconds remaining:

The First Keep-Calm-and-Chop Poster of 2013

Time to start using that #ChopFresno hashtag.

Rutgers Getting No Love From the CBSSports.com Preseason 126

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights do not even make it into the top half of the CBSSports.com preseason 126, coming in a number 77.

This makes game number one coming up on August 29th against Fresno State that much more important.  This meaningless preseason list (from the network that's still blacked out on my Time Warner system) has the Bulldogs ranked at number 26.

Tom Savage is the new starting QB for Pitt.

According to this, the ex-Rutgers quarterback is getting his chance to start again and we couldn't be happier for him.  I hope he tears it up in the ACC (not to be confused with the AAC -- God, I can't wait to join the Big Ten.)

Tom Savage attracting all eyes at the 2008 Scarlet-White Game.

Rutgers ranked in Top 20 (internationally) ...

... on the Times [of London] Higher Education World University Rankings of Arts and Humanities institutions.

Rutgers North meets Rutgers South this Friday in Foxborough...

..and the Patriots and Buccaneers are engaging in joint practices at Gillette Stadium leading up to the nationally-televised preseason game. 

Here are the nine Rutgers players on each current roster as displayed on ESPN SportsCenter yesterday:

And, of course, Rutgers South is still coached by Greg Schiano.

Conference Age and Tradition

Watching the Premier League Club Guide on NBC Sports this morning, with all its stress on the age and tradition of England's top professional football teams, made me think about the age and tradition of America's college football teams in the 2013 Rump Big East (now known as the American Athletic Conference) and the 2013 Big Ten and what the move of the oldest school in either conference from one to the other will do to the average ages of both.  Here are the results of some quick internet historical research about the dates each of these schools was founded.

AMERICAN			B1G
UCF	1963		Illinois	1867
Cincinnati	1819		Indiana	1820
UConn	1881		Iowa	1847
Houston	1927		Michigan	1817
Louisville	1798		MSU	1855
Memphis	1912		Minnesota	1851
Rutgers	1766		Nebraska	1869
USF	1956		Northwestern	1851
SMU	1911		Ohio State	1870
Temple	1884		Penn State	1855
2013 Average	1881.7		Purdue	1869
			Wisconsin	1848
			2013 Average	1851.583

There's already an average 30 year difference in the Big Ten's favor even with the 1766 Scarlet Knights in the Rump Big East, but look what happens when Rutgers and Louisville check out next year and the difference extends to 50 years.

UCF	1963		Illinois	1867
Cincinnati	1819		Indiana	1820
UConn	1881		Iowa	1847
East Carolina	1907		Maryland	1856
Houston	1927		Michigan	1817
Memphis	1912		MSU	1855
USF	1956		Minnesota	1851
SMU	1911		Nebraska	1869
Temple	1884		Northwestern	1851
Tulane	1834		Ohio State	1870
Tulsa	1894		Penn State	1855
2014 Average	1898.90909		Purdue	1869
			Rutgers	1766
			Wisconsin	1848
			2014 Average	1845.786

The Big Ten will become 6 years older with the addition of 1766 Rutgers and 1856 Maryland, but the American Athletic Conference (if it's still calling itself that in 2014) will have become 17 years younger and only the addition of Tulane will keep the conference's average age just barely in the 19th century. Only two of the AAC's 2014 members will have been founded before Rutgers was already playing football in 1869.

Blunt Advice

Before you can even enter the website for Schutt helmets, you must read and acknowledge the following warning. This verbiage will also be placed as a sticker on all their helmets, so you have to wonder if they will also be offering reading glasses or a magnifying glass for each buyer and end user.

WARNING 

Scientists have not reached agreement on how the results of impact absorption tests relate to concussions. No conclusions about a reduction of risk or severity of concussive injury should be drawn from impact absorption tests. 

NO HELMET SYSTEM CAN PREVENT CONCUSSIONS OR ELIMINATE THE RISK OF SERIOUS HEAD OR NECK INJURIES WHILE PLAYING FOOTBALL. 

Keep your head up. Do not butt, ram, spear or strike an opponent with any part of the helmet or faceguard. This is a violation of football rules and may cause you to suffer severe brain or neck injury, including paralysis or death and possible injury to your opponent. Contact in football may result in Concussion/Brain Injury which no helmet can prevent. Symptoms include loss of consciousness or memory, dizziness, headache, nausea or confusion. If you have symptoms, immediately stop and report them to your coach, trainer and parents. Do not return to a game or contact until all symptoms are gone and you receive medial clearance. Ignoring this warning may lead to another and more serious or fatal brain injury. 

NO HELMET SYSTEM CAN PROTECT YOU FROM SERIOUS BRAIN AND/OR NECK INJURIES INCLUDING PARALYSIS OR DEATH. TO AVOID THESE RISKS, DO NOT ENGAGE IN THE SPORT OF FOOTBALL.

There's more about the escalation of alarmist legalese in this NY Times article, "Warning Labels on Helmets Combat Injury and Liability".

"Who is the best Rutgers player you've ever seen play in your lifetime?"

The Facebook page for Rutgers Football on NJ.Com asked this question of the day today: "Who is the best Rutgers player you've ever seen play in your lifetime?"

I couldn't help thinking about one player, Brian Leonard, not only for what he does in this video, but for his role in Rutgers' rise, his role as Ray Rice's roommate and mentor and -- when he realized Ray's talent and value to the team -- blocker, even though he had had his own Heisman campaign a year earlier.  If I were a player, I can't think of anyone I'd rather have as my teammate.

Now that number 23 is back with Greg Schiano in Tampa Bay, I'd love to see him reach his full potential -- and reach a bowl game -- in the NFL.